Minneapolis installs first northside NARCAN vending machine

May 14, 2025
Health

The Minneapolis Health Department and Hennepin County partnered to install the City’s first NARCAN® (naloxone) vending machine on the Northside. This life-saving resource expands access to the opioid overdose-reversing drug. 

Located at Fire Station 14 (2002 Lowry Ave. N.), this is the second vending machine in the city. The vending machine:

  • Provides 24-hour access.
  • Contains more than 100 boxes of NARCAN, each holding two doses.
  •  Is free to community members with no barriers.

Fire Station 14 also serves as one of the City’s Safe Stations. This space is where people struggling with addiction and substance misuse can be connected with resources, such as peer recovery specialists.

The Health Department began the NARCAN vending machine pilot program last July, launching the City’s first NARCAN vending machine at Fire Station 21 (3209 E. 38th St.). Through April, more than 1,700 boxes have been dispensed.

What is NARCAN?

Naloxone is often referred to by its brand name NARCAN. It's a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, potentially saving someone’s life. Naloxone works on overdoses with:

  • Heroin
  • Morphine
  • Oxycodone (OxyContin(R))
  • Methadone
  • Fentanyl
  • Hydrocodone (Vicodin(R))
  • Buprenorphine

You never know when you might save a life. It happened at the grocery store for Cynthia, a certified peer recovery specialist and community advocate with the Twin Cities Recovery Project. She found an unconscious man who had overdosed in a parking lot. With no prior experience, she used naloxone to revive him before the paramedics arrived.

Cynthia is now committed to carrying naloxone and educating others about its life-saving potential. By saving a life with naloxone, you can give someone another chance at life and recovery.

Recognizing and responding to an overdose

The signs and symptoms of an overdose include:

  • Unconsciousness or unresponsiveness
  • Slow or shallow breathing
  • Gasping or gurgling
  • Pinpoint size pupils
  • Slow heartbeat or low blood pressure
  • Cold or discolored skin

Once you recognize someone is experiencing an overdose, call 911 immediately and describe the situation. Then administer NARCAN.

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